"Queen of the South" - Two versions, both fun

I watched the season finale of Queen of the South starring Sonia Braga on the USA network last night, and I find the show really entertaining. Fortunately, it has been renewed for a third season. It's based on a novel by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

I also saw a couple of years ago on Netflix the 63-episode Spanish version of the same story (La Reina del Sur - for those who don't speak Spanish this translates to "Queen of the South") starring Kate del Castillo. It's very interesting how the two stories differ. Of course, there is a long way to go in the American version so they may become similar down the road, but here are my thoughts comparing the two.

The Spanish version (subtitled) is more akin to a telenovela. It may even be considered that, I don't know for sure. There is a soap opera feel to the entire production. The acting is a bit over the top, yet it is still a good presentation.

The story concerns the rise of a street girl in a small Mexican town who eventually becomes a major drug lord (lady?). Of the two leads, I prefer Ms. Braga as Teresa Mendoza over Ms. del Castillo. I will say that del Castillo plays the innocent naïf better than Braga, but Braga plays the hard-ass Teresa much better.

The first two seasons in the American version have been concentrating on Mexico and Texas locations. In the Spanish version, Teresa actually has her gravitating to southern Spain to escape retribution from another drug lord. It is there where she builds her empire. The ending of season two has Teresa on a boat sailing somewhere, but we are not apprised of her ultimate destination. I don't think she's going to end up in Spain. I would think that the budget for filming overseas would be prohibitive, but who knows.

Now from here on, this is going to get a bit spoilery.

What is definitely different in the English version is that the Big Bad has been changed from the Spanish version. That villain was just killed at the end of the second season. In the Spanish version he is a threat throughout the entire series. Interesting. It appears the wife of the villain is going to be Teresa's series-long nemesis. We'll see.

I could go on, but I'm sure this piece has already gone into TL;DR territory. Suffice it to say, both versions are a fun watch. If you decide to see either or both versions, let me know what you think.